Sam Langley (IG: @samuellangley) hardly needs an introduction. This pro athlete and member of Team Hyperlite is also a renowned teacher of watersports. We have had the pleasure of sharing Sam’s success for a long time. For instance, check out Sam’s contribution to this short film, The Wingmen, which we produced in concert with BFY Action Films & Media.
Now, it’s easy to see that foiling is a watersport enjoying explosive growth. Many experienced wakeboarders and wakesurfers have taken up foiling in addition to their first love sport. Also, many newcomers to the water are showing-up as a result of foiling.
In this video, also shot and edited, by Sean Kilgus at BFY, Langley brings his expertise and experience as both a pro rider, and as a teacher, to provide several tips for those just starting out on their foiling journey. Watch this vid to learn about mast setup, foot position and more.
Below is the transcript from the video—Langley’s words—which we extracted and then manually edited, in order to provide a written set of instructions from this pro athlete and teacher. These are things that Langley attests to having been especially-successful in teaching beginners over his long career.
Mast and Foot Position
It is very important to know the mast position. The further forward you place the mast, the more lift it helps provide.With the mast forward the board will want to rise up more. With the mast positioned further aft, the more it ( the board) wants to stay down.
So, as a beginner, Langley recommends riding with the mast positioned all the way back.
Langley notes that the foiler’s foot position goes hand-in-hand with the positioning of the mast. He says that it is a key factor for beginners to place their back foot just in front of the mast position. Doing so will keep the board from rising too much, according to this longtime pro, and keep it on the water where it is more easily controlled.
Staggered
Staggering your feet on the board is another tip Langley offers as essential for beginners. He suggests that new riders keep their back foot near the toe-side edge of the board and place their forward foot more towards the heel-side edge of the board.
